Friday, August 3, 2012

A Day in the Life of an Alwarite
While the rest of the world gets up with ‘Good morning!’ , we, the Alwarites, get up with ‘Jaldi karo paani chala jayega, bijli chali jayegi’. But have you ever wondered how ‘caring’ our public departments are? You may not care about your health but our Water-works does!
Take health for example. Would you get a regular work out if it wasn’t for the philanthropic water-board? Firstly, it decided to transform all slothful citizens into early-birds by starting the supply at 5:30 a.m., then to prevent the inevitable wastage, it releases just a wee trickle which can at the most fill your underground water-tanks. Add to that our wonderful Public Works, who, for some reason are digging up the city, which inevitably means a broken water-pipe every day, left unattended as long as possible. Both of these combined means that on the lucky days when no pipes are broken, you have to be up and running and bending to reach the tap in the tank the moment your eyes snap open.
Should you mind it so much? No! Look at the benefits, hubby is bright-eyed and bushy tailed even without the first-cup of tea and gets a vigorous work-out running, bending, bending and running again to ensure all tanks and buckets are full for the day. Electricity board chips in with a power-cut so you don’t even think of cranking the booster-pump on. In one stroke, they’re saving electricity, giving you a free work-out and saving water, as you wouldn’t dare to waste such hard-earned water.
Actually, these two boards are not just thinking of only your physical well-being, think of the emotional boost, the sublime sense of achievement when you see the tank filled up to its brim with sparkling water. Where else could you get this valuable lesson in being so happy with so little? There is also the greatest lesson ever of self-reliance- why rely on any board for basic-necessities? Get your own inverter, your own water-pump and free yourself of dependence!
Employment generation is another thing which is often overlooked by people cribbing about bad governance. The streets are humming these days with a number of water – tankers. On the days when the Public works is successful in disrupting the meager water-supply we turn to these helpful people with their water-tanks. Imagine the number of people who must’ve got regular work because of this! And then there are those who refuse to buy water- their basic necessity, they say, and take out rallies in protest. But have you ever wondered how many people get work writing placards or making those combustible effigies?
For that matter, dare you blame corruption for a number of things including bad roads which disappear with the first shower of rain? If you do, you’re plain myopic. Such roads ensure steady work for a number of contractors, engineers, laborers etc. etc. for years, didn’t you know? Where would they be if roads lasted for years together?
And if you look a little deeper, who’s behind it all? Our governance, of course!
Ineffective, you think? Just be in their shoes for a while and imagine what all they have to contend with.
Starting with making plans full of loopholes, to handing out work which ensures steady income- for them of course, (what did you think?); to ensuring nothing progresses smoothly and then the most important part- make sure of following the ‘monkey on the pole’ principle- 3 steps up, 2 steps down- this way nothing will ever be complete, which will ensure years of work for everybody!
Do you still blame the authorities for not taking their work seriously??